Ice and soft drink dispensers are widely used to dispense drinks in a variety of establishments. Fast-food outlets, roadside convenience stores, re-fueling stations, and cafeterias are examples of locations where there is a high volume consumption of soft drinks. Of course, dispensers used in such locations require good performance, such as good thermal insulation so that a beverage is dispensed to consumers' liking, that is, as cold as the ice and thermal insulation will allow. Performance characteristics may also include overall cooling capacity of the dispenser, insulation value of the dispenser, that is, its ability to maintain ice and cold drink temperatures, and the ability of the dispenser to maintain adequate carbonation volumes. Because of the high volume, it is also important for these dispensers to be made for low cost, so that they will continue to be available, even as costs of labor, costs of materials, and other costs continue to rise. Costs of ownership may also include repairs costs, whether at the factory or on-site, and refurbishments necessary to maintain performance or appearance.
A variety of methods have been used to keep costs low in beverage dispensers. These include using assemblies and subassemblies, such as revealed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,884, or using foam-in-place methods of assembly, as revealed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,335,819 and 5,392,960, and PCT Patent Publication No. WO 94/11297. Using foam-in-place methods is an attractive method of manufacturing, since the outer skin or skin panels of the dispenser itself may be the “tool” used to limit and form the foam, which then surrounds and insulates very efficiently. This step, however, may also adhere the foam to internal parts and the outer skin of the dispenser, thus making disassembly very difficult, if not impossible. Repair of the skins may be desired, for instance when the dispensers are subject to gouges, or when caustic or harmful substances come in contact with the skins and deface or mar them.
Besides these disadvantages, the dispensers themselves are typically made of metal skins and bottoms, which are subject to corrosion, and which also may scratch or mar the surfaces onto which they are placed. What is needed is a dispenser for ice and beverages that overcomes these disadvantages. Such dispensers will preferably not mar or scratch counter surfaces or tabletops in food-service areas. Such a dispenser is desirably made in such a fashion that it is repairable when a surface panel is gouged or otherwise defaced. The dispenser will ideally also have a low cost of manufacture.